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What Makes You Smile? #SweetSmart

“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” – Phyllis Diller… I’m what you’d call a “glass half full” kind of girl. I’ve always been great at finding the silver lining, the rainbow after the rain, the sun behind the clouds. There are tons of things that make me smile – sparkles, cupcakes, ridiculously adorable baby animal pictures on Pinterest, and of course, my family.

Things that make me smile [Read more…]

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Party Time with MAM Baby: Smile Baby, Smile

“A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.” – Dorothy Canfield Fisher… This past Mother’s Day I hosted a big celebration in my home – and was lucky enough to also get to share some amazing products from MAM Baby with the other moms who came to share the afternoon with us. I’m a big fan of all things MAM Baby, so it was great to be able to introduce some new mommas to them too.

MAM Baby, Smile Baby Party

“Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother.” – Lin Yutang

When I first saw the amazing MAM Baby party package that Child’s Play Party had put together for us, I was blown away. There were so many really smart products to encourage healthy teeth and gums from babies to toddlers. And they even included great ideas for snacks, games, activities for the kids – and some fun prizes too. I invited over about 15 moms, including one of my very bestest girlfriends – you can see Miss Teia with me in the picture above. Love her. She is always SUCH a big help when I’m trying to get parties set up while managing a bunch of crazy kiddos.

MAM Baby Party time

“There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.” – Chinese Proverb

Here is Miss Teia again, showing off some of the great swag bags filled with MAM Baby goodies that each guest got to take home with them. I had sets of products for girls {bags tied with a pink sparkly ribbon} and sets in blue for boys {tied with shiny silver bows} – and each set included oral care supplies to take them from infant to toddler time.

  • Infants: Many people think that because an infant has no teeth yet, you don’t need to worry about oral care. But it’s very important to keep baby’s gums clean, so that those new teeth pop our strong and healthy when they arrive. This can be challenging, so MAM Baby came up with a SUPER smart solution – MAM Oral Care Rabbit. It’s a little glove/cleaning cloth that makes it really simple and fun to keep babies gummy grin healthy.
  • 6 months: As kids grow, they start developing those cute little baby teeth. And yes – they will lose those teeth eventually. But it’s still incredibly important to keep them healthy – tooth decay in little ones can lead to painful toothaches, and can start them on a path to bad habits. The Learn to Brush Set from MAM Baby is perfectly sized for little hands, and the curved shape of the brush head makes it comfortable to use.

I made tie-dyed rainbow colored cupcakes, put together pretty fruit trays, and created a sparkling Sangria wine mix for the moms to enjoy on the patio. The kids had a blast playing together and trying out their super cool new toothbrushes, and my girlfriends and I enjoyed learning some new tips and tricks on keeping smiles bright while playing some games and enjoying the sunshine. Everyone took home a great bag of goodies – and a couple of ladies won fun prizes. {Thanks Child’s Play Party!} Great times, great weather, and great new products to take home – this party was a big success!

See more great baby products and tips on my All About Baby Pinterest board too!

{Disclaimer: I received a complimentary party package from Child’s Play Party so that I could share the great products with my guests, and share some feedback with you. All photos, opinions, and over-use of the word awesome are entirely my own. If you’d like to host parties like this too, apply at Child’s Play Party today!}

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Twooth Timer: Smart Solution to Encourage Kids to Brush

This is a great gadget that has completely changed bedtimes around my house! Kids love it – and I love it because it encourages them to brush their teeth much longer, with no nagging. Kids doing something that’s good for them, and loving it? Now that is a Smart Solution!

twooth timer

Sponsor Spotlight: The Twooth Timer Company

I’ve been using the Twooth Timer in our home for almost a year now, and it really does make life easier. This little gadget is so simple, but so effective – the kids always want to turn it on, and they will “race” to see who can brush the most teeth before the timer goes off. Which means they do a LOT more brushing then they used to – and they have more fun. The $10 bucks you spend on this totally pays off in lowered dentists bills.

Did you Know…

According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, more than 51 million school hours are lost each year to dental-related illness. Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood ailment – 5 times more common than asthma and 7 times more common than hay fever.

Like most smart products, the Twooth Timer was invented by a mom, just like us. Years ago, at a routine check up for her kids, the dentist informed her that the kids needed to brush more – twice a day, for at least 2 minutes each time. She wondered how on earth she could get them, all of them, to do that, every day. The dentist advised her to try using a timer. And the Twooth Timer was born!

Let the Twooth Timer Bring Better Brushing to Your Home Too

Learn more about the Twooth Timer by visiting their website, read some great tooth-care tips on their blog, and be sure to sign up for their newsletter updates to stay informed of new products, giveaways, and cool promotions. You can also read more reviews of the Twooth Timer, if you’d like to learn a little more:

  • Amazon Reviews: Twooth Timer has a bunch of great reviews on Amazon, with twelve 5-star ratings, one 4-star, and just one lower ranking. That’s great to see!
  • My Review: You can read more about our experience when we first started using the Twooth Timer in my home, and why we love it.
  • More Blog Reviews: Have Kids Will Coupon loves this clever timer, it made Nicole’s daughter have loads more fun during brushing time, it worked great for Insights by April too, and the boys at Unionvale Mom’s Spot have just as much fun with this as mine do. MomVantage, a self-proclaimed “Tooth Fanatic,” who has a lot of experience with dental offices, totally appreciates what a great tool this is in helping build good brushing habits!

You can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter. And speaking of connecting – You can learn more about the Twooth Timer from me, if you’ll be attending Reviewer’s Retreat this weekend! They are one of the brands I’ll be helping to represent during the Sponsor Speedway portion of the events. I hope to see some of you there!

If you’re interested in learning more about how to partner with smart mom-invented brands like this, and working with some great bloggers on fun campaigns, you can learn more about how Mompact supports moms in business, and sign up to be part of the team at Question Moms.

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How to Build a Better Smile – #CrestSponsored

Kids smiling

Keeping Kids Smiles Bright!

About a month ago, I told you guys about a new challenge we were doing – We started following the  Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control regimen, where we’d try out some of the new products, and build some better brushing habits in our house. Well, I can tell ya – the kids and I loved every single product we tried out. And we are definitely switching to this floss – we were all really impressed with how easy the Glide floss is to use.

How to Build a Better Smile

I love seeing those great big grins on the kiddo’s faces – so it’s totally important to me to protect them from yucky stuff like cavities and stains. The video above shares some great info – and here are a few tips we use at my house:

  • Make sure that everyone has a good routine – brushing, flossing, and rinsing both morning and night. {A fun way to make sure kids brush long enough is to get the Twooth Timer, a cute little gadget that has made my life SO much easier!}
  • Use the best products. The Pro-Health line from Crest and Oral-B is awesome because most of the products do double duty – cleaning, whitening, and even protecting!
  • Brush smart: You should brush for about 2 minutes, twice a day. Harder is NOT better – that can lead to over-sensitive teeth. Use a rinse with fluoride – swish about 2 teaspoons full in your mouth for 1 minute, twice a day. And remember to change to a new toothbrush every 3 months. {We write the date on the handle when we purchase new ones!}

There are also some great books to get little ones excited about brushing time, like Brush Your Teeth Please Pop-Up Book. Abby loved that one, and she thinks that brushing her teeth is so cool that she steals the other toothbrushes out of the cabinet and walks around the house brushing with them. {That means I’ve been buying everyone a lot of new toothbrushes lately, lol.} So – get your family motivated to do a Pro-Health Challenge too! Pick up the products at your local drugstore or Walmart, and see how well they all work together – it’s an awesome little system. And build brighter smiles for your family this year too!

{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Crest and Oral-B and received product samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central Consulting sent me a promotional gift to thank me for taking the time to participate.}

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